Heart Of A Thief

One of my favorite stories from Honen is the conversation he has with an ex-thief. I found this quote from Traversing the Pure Land Path inspiring:

Basically what I mean by a mind that longs for certain Birth into the Pure Land and calls upon the sacred name in all sincerity is like the mind of a thief who warns to steal another's property. Deep down in his heart he means to steal, but as far as his outward appearance is concerned, he doesn't show the slightest indication to others of his purpose by look or gesture. As other know absolutely nothing about the purpose to steal in his mind, we can say that the purpose is for himself alone, without any reference whatsoever to outward appearances. Such an undivided mind as this is is necessary in the person who wants to make sure of Birth in the Pure Land.

If one wants to follow the Buddhist path without falling prey to ego, it's best to practice with the mind of a thief.

P.S. It's been a while hasn't it?

Goodbye Voyager One

Hello,

I was very excited to read about Voyager 1 leaving the Solar System the other day. Voyager 1 was launched the same year I was born, so in a sense, I've always grown up with it,¹ and I have always wondered if it would reach the end of the solar system at some point.

However, a good friend who's an avid astronomer pointed out that Voyager 1 still has to traverse the Oort Cloud, and probably will not do so for a long, long time. The power source on Voyager 1 will have long since died out.

Anyhow, congrats to Voyager 1 for making it out of the heliosphere and into the deeper space. :)

¹ Similarly, I remember as a little kid when Halley's Comet passed by earth in 1986, and I always hoped I'd be alive long enough to see it come back again in 2061.

Thought For The Day

Something I found in the book, What The Buddha Taught, specifically quoted from the Dhammapada:

361. Good is restraint of the body. Good is restraint of speech. Good is restraint of the mind. Restraint everywhere is good. The bhikkhu (monk) restrained in every way is freed from all suffering.

Self-restraint seems counter-intuitive, but if you think about it carefully, it actually makes sense.

If You're Having a Bad Day

Enjoy this nice song:



Here is the original link too.  To me, this has a nice, subtle "Asian" or "Buddhist" sound to it which is kind of soothing I think.

Living With Yourself

This is a great scene from Pirate of the Caribbean: At World's End, jump to 01:55:



The conversation is:

"What? You've seen it all, done it all. You survived. That’s the trick, isn’t it? To survive?"
"It’s not just about living forever, Jackie. The trick is living with yourself forever."

Good words to live by.

One Of Those Days

I always like this "Double Facepalm" image that is circulating around the web:



Today is definitely one of those days.

In all seriousness though, this was some impressive image editing though. :)

What Would Jack Sparrow Do?

One of my favorite franchises is the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and this is one of my favorite scenes from the second movie, Dead Man's Chest:



I love the character of Captain Jack Sparrow. Although he's morally ambiguous, he's the ultimate survivor. Jack never gives up, and somehow always thinks of a way out. It's a good model to follow I think. So, sometimes when you're having a hard time, it's good to ask yourself: what would Jack Sparrow do?